- We have grown our retailers from about 10 to over 45 the past year.- Our sales for the year increased by over 50%.- We received product mentions in Triathlete Magazine, Dirt Rag Mag, and on Fat Cyclist.- We began a strong relationship with High Five Events.- Team Grease Monkey Wipes participated in several charity cycling events.- From these events we were able to raise over $10,000 for the various charities.- GMW was able to sponsor some amazing teams and organizations such as Threshold Cycling, Big Pig Racing, Transparent Racing, and Austin Cycle Camp.- On a personal side Erin completed her first Ironman, and Tim completd over 4000 miles on the bike.- We have met tons of amazing people.

Team GMW wants to wish everyone a fantastic new year. Look for some huge things from us in 2010.

It's been about 6 months in the making, but we are VERY excited to finally share some big news from Grease Monkey Wipes.

Drum roll please...on Friday January 15, 2010 at 9:00 pm EST/8:00 pm CST, Grease Monkey Wipes will be featured on the Mark Burnett produced reality TV show Shark Tank on ABC.

That's right - Grease Monkey Wipes is going prime time!!

The premise of Shark Tank revolves around entrepreneurs pitching their business ideas to 5 multi-millionaire investors in hopes of getting funding in exchange for an equity share in their company.

Obviously we can't share what happened to us on the show... for that you'll just have to tune in on January 15. But we can give you an inside peek at the path we traveled to get on the show...

We heard about the opportunity through Twitter in late May and emailed some basic information to them thinking why not. We were then contacted by the show in early June. At this time we began the extensive application process that included filming a 5 minute audition tape (which may be leaked to YouTube in the near future). The first week of July we found out we were semi-finalists for the show, and then the first week of August we found out we made the show. Woohoo!! After this we flew to Los Angeles at the end of August to pitch Grease Monkey Wipes.

Below are some pictures from our very own trailer on the Sony studio lots. And here's a sneak peak of what we were up against... Kevin O'Leary (i.e. you crazy chickens!) was shooting us as we set up to pitch!

This has been such an amazing experience for both of us (even though we have been waiting to pop holding this news in since August.) We have absolutely relished every minute of it. There are tons of people to thank for their help along the way, and that will come in an update soon. But for now, we just wanted to let you know that on January 15 (9:00pm EST/8:00pm CST)Grease Monkey Wipes will be taking a swim with the sharks and we hope you will tune in to see if we come out of the tank alive or if we become chum.

One of the most important items that a cyclist can carry with them is something to replace a flat tire. This includes not only a spare tube but a way to fill this tube. There are two main options: a hand pump or CO2 cartridges.

The usual argument against CO2 cartridges is the cost. Each CO2 cartridge costs between $2-3 at your local bike shop. Well, if you think outside the box you can buy them much cheaper. If you buy the cartridges in the paint ball section at Wal-Mart, Academy, Dick's, etc. you can get a box of 15 for around $8. This is a huge savings over the LBS. For my money the convenience and time savings associated with CO2 makes it a far superior to a hand pump.

Australian cyclist Stuart O’Grady has been diagnosed with bacterial pneumonia and could miss the Tour Down Under in January, race officials said Monday.

O’Grady was admitted to hospital after arriving in Adelaide from his home in Monaco last week. He was later discharged and doctors were expected to reassess his condition this week.

Tour Down Under race director Mike Turtur said it was extremely unlikely that O’Grady would be fit to ride. The Jan. 17-24 race will feature seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong riding for his new RadioShack team as well as Australia’s world road cycling champion Cadel Evans.

Turtur said doctors had ordered O’Grady to take a complete break in order to make a full recovery.

“That being the case I think it would be a week or two before he could even think about going for a ride,” Turtur said. “He needs to get this knocked on the head.”

O’Grady, who has ridden the Tour de France since 1998 and finished second four times, is a member of Team Saxo Bank. He and Graeme Brown won a gold medal for Australia in men’s Madison at the 2004 Athens Olympics.

A new feature that we are going to institute on our blog is a Tim's Tips article. This will be a weekly feature and will provide tips for cyclists. These may be maintenance tips, performance tips, nutritional tips, or just just general cycling info. We hope you enjoy this new feature...let us know. Now without further ado, the first Tim's tip.

Commuting

Riding for transportation is real cycling. Add the miles to your training log and watch your fitness improve as you put in extra saddle time.

It's also real money saved, real pounds lost and real reduction in carbon monoxide emissions. The average American drives 29 miles per day. If you use a bike instead of a car just one day per week, in one year you could save more than $1,000 in gas and car costs, burn 15 pounds' worth of calories and prevent 74 pounds of carbon monoxide from entering the atmosphere.

Route Selection 101: The best way to get somewhere by bike is usually different from the best way by car. As a driver, you want high-speed direct roads, and hills don't matter. On a bike, look for a road that parallels the highway, but with slower traffic (drivers will avoid it), timed traffic lights and a wide shoulder. Avoid stretches of strip mall, which provide multiple opportunities for a car to turn into your path. And try different roads until you find the best route; you might go two blocks farther to avoid a steep grade, or find it faster to cut through the park.

If your trip is less than 5 miles, there's not much excuse for driving instead of riding. "It will likely take you just as long to get into your car, drive there, find a parking spot and get out of your car as it does to ride," says Randy Warren, a commuter-program specialist at the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation.

To prevent that yoked-ox feeling, ditch the messenger bag and install a rear rack.

Quit using "there's no shower at work" as an excuse. In a survey of hundreds of bike commuters in North America, Dave Glowacz, author of Urban Bikers' Tips and Tricks, found that 85 percent don't bother to shower after reaching their destination. "If you just change your clothes, you're removing most of the sweat with your clothing," says Warren. Wiping down helps, too.

A rural bike commute isn't much different than your regular road ride, but riding in urban traffic requires you to ride more like you would drive, says Warren. "Traffic will be heavier, but also slower than you're used to," he says, "so often you'll be able to take the whole lane or share it." Also, signal where you're going and ride predictably.

It's not always fastest to ride fast. The need for sudden stops can hijack momentum. Commuting becomes almost a zen art, and a hell of a lot of fun, if you go with the flow of timed lights and traffic.

The best bike for your commute depends on the distance and terrain you cover, and whether or not you'll have to lock up. It could be the rusty hardtail or cruiser in your garage, your regular road bike or a dedicated commuter bike. The one bike that will work for every commute: a cyclocross bike.

Spinning is extremely popular and it’s a great way to train your endurance during the winter months. Here are some simple tips that will increase your gains from spinning:1. Warm up before spinning

Spinning lessons have a normal length of around 50 minutes. For trained cyclists this is a very short amount of time, when this time includes both warm up, intervals and cool down.

Remember that most spinning lessons are made for people that are not very familiar with cycling training. Therefore I suggest you do a warm up before you enter the spinning room to get more training time.2. Drink water with electrolytes and carbohydrates

Spinning rooms have a very high temperature and high humidity. Therefore it is quite normal to sweat much more than you are used to.

Some people believe that they sweat more at spinning lessons because they work harder. That is not true.

They sweat more because of the climate, not because they work harder than normal. I will recommend you to drink water with electrolytes and carbohydrates to maintain a high level of performance during the whole session.3. Choose intervals carefully

Spinning instructors plan their lesson to be interesting and challenging for a wide range of riders. Most of them train spinning only 2 to 3 times week, so they can use all their effort in this short period.

If you do not like the program made of the instructor, consider to use your own program. It is possible to ride one of these programs without telling the instructor. Just remember to stand up and sit down when the instructor tells you to (and ignore his commands about pacing strategy).4. Remember rest days

You can not do intervals every single day. Some days should be easy days. If you go for a ride in the spinning class on one of these days, please remember your goal with the training.

The 65th edition of the Vuelta a España will break new ground in 2010 with the leader’s jersey changing color from the traditional gold to red and the first stage taking place at night.

The 21-stage race gets underway on August 28 with a 16.5km time trial in the southern city of Seville and will finish in Madrid on September 19.

This year’s event, covering a distance of 3,352km, will travel across many mountainous regions, and will take in the 10.1km climb with a gradient of 8.4 percent to the summit of Cotobello aux Asturies, in the north of the country.

Valverde, Sanchez and their countryman Alberto Contador, winner of this year’s Tour de France and the 2008 Vuelta, were all present at Wednesday’s presentation.

“It’s a Vuelta that looks exciting but also very, very hard,” said Valverde, who also expressed his delight that stages six and seven of the race will run through his home region, Murcia.

“It’s a beautiful Vuelta, for the spectator,” said Contador.

Contador, who is tied to Astana for one more season, said he would not make a decision over his participation in the race until May or June but admitted he would be disappointed to miss out for a second successive year.

Former riders such as Frenchmen Bernard Hinault and Bernard Thevenet were also present for the course unveiling.

Race director Javier Guillen conceded that the global financial crisis had made it “difficult to find locations” for the stages.

2009 is almost in the books. It was a great year in the Triathlon and Cycling community and we are sad it is over. Jack & Adam’s Bicycles is excited about the New Year and has some new things in store for the 2010 season. Below is a little taste of what to expect in the months to come.

1. Retul – J & A will be adding a Retul system to the fit room. With already one of the most fit educated staff in the world, Jack & Adam’s is sure to stay on the edge of technology with the addition of this 3 D fitting system.

2. High Five Events – In addition to The Texas Tri Series and The Splash -N- Dash Summer Series, High Five Events and Jack & Adam’s will be adding two more great events in 2010! Keep your eyes on our websites to find out all the details.

3. Triathlon Info Seminars and Clinics – Starting in February Jack & Adam’s and many of our community partners will be hosting a monthly clinic covering everything from your 1st triathlon to your next Ironman. The monthly seminars will be completely free and cover topics such as nutrition, training, mechanics, traveling, equipment, and much more. We are lining up special guest now for the entire year.

4. Multisport Club – With all the pieces in place Jack & Adam’s will be forming a community multisport club. It will be completely free and cover all aspects of swimming, biking and running. Special product discounts, social events, guest speakers, training, info clinics, lots of free stuff and much more. Again keep your eyes on J & A for more info soon.

Thanks for the great year and we hope to see you all in the store in 2010. We promise it will be a good one.

MILAN, Dec 15 (Reuters) - World champion Cadel Evans will race in May’s Giro d’Italia as well as next year’s Tour de France.

“Finally I am returning to the Giro. I have concentrated on the Tour in recent years but I think I am able to race two grand tours at a high level” the 32-year-old Australian told Tuesday’s Gazzetta dello Sport, which runs the Giro.

Two-time Tour de France winner Alberto Contador said Monday that 2009 has been his best year ever, as he received the award from the International Cycling Union (UCI) as this season’s top rider.

“I think this has been my best year ever, in terms of results rather than other circumstances, given the constant tension and pressure to which I was submitted,” said the Spaniard. He was apparently referring to his tense relationship with his Astana teammate, Lance Armstrong.

“It has been the most important year of my life on a sporting level,” said Contador, after receiving the award from UCI President Pat McQuaid for topping the world rankings this year.

Contador won his second Tour de France crown in July, after first taking the title in 2007. The 27-year-old, who confirmed recently that he would remain with Astana next season, said he is now “excited and motivated” about next season, when his main goal will be a third Tour de France title.

“The fact that there is no team time trial should clearly help us,” he said. “What concerns me more is the cobbled roads, I hope we can get through that. It will be important to avoid falls that can ruin the race.”

The third stage of the Tour, between the Belgian town of Wanze and Arenberg in France on July 6, includes 13 kilometers of cobbled roads. The rider said he has scheduled “a block of races” earlier in the year, including the Tour of the Algarve, the Paris-Nice, the Tour of Catalonia and the Tour of the Basque Country.

Triple Olympic gold medallist Bradley Wiggins has joined Britain’s Team Sky on a four-year contract, team principal Dave Brailsford said on Thursday.

“Brad will be at home in Team Sky. It is the perfect fit and he will be a marquee rider for us,” Brailsford said in a statement.

The 29-year-old Briton, who finished fourth in the Tour de France this year, joins from U.S. team Garmin-Transitions becoming the 25th member of the newly formed team.

“I’ll be on a British team with management and coaches who have shaped me as a rider. They are instrumental in my achievements so far and I know they are critical for the next part of my career,” Wiggins said.

“This team wants to be the biggest and the best and the most admired team in the world. It’s the first British ProTour team and to be part of that from the start is going to be something quite special.”

Wiggins, who won Olympic gold in Athens 2004 on the track before taking double gold at last year’s Beijing Olympics, had been linked to Team Sky since their formation in February.

The team, whose aim is to produce a British winner of the Tour de France within five years, are led by British cycling’s performance director Brailsford, the man behind their unprecedented cycling success in Beijing.

“Brad was a real revelation at this year’s Tour de France, has been hugely successful for British Cycling and his Olympic success has brought wide recognition,” Brailsford said.

“My personal opinion is that the best that Brad Wiggins could be is very close to the top of the Tour de France podium.”

Wiggins becomes one of seven British riders on the team which also includes Norwegian champion Kurt-Asle Arvesen and his promising compatriot Edvald Boasson Hagen.

“Obviously the main goal is the Tour de France, but from day one when we start competing at the Tour Down Under we’ve got riders who can win right through the season,” Wiggins told a news conference.

“I am sure that if we hit all the goals the team want to hit early season, selection for Tour de France will not be a problem.”

Garmin-Transitions, who still had Wiggins contracted for another year, were disappointed with his departure.

“Although we understand his strong desire to be a part of the UK’s first-ever ProTour team, we would have loved to continue with him through 2010. His departure is not the outcome we hoped for,” they said in a statement.

Wiggins admitted it was a tough decision to leave.

“I still believed, as late as last weekend, that I would be with Garmin next year. I stayed away from the whole ins and outs of it all, and just let the people behind the scenes get on with it,” Wiggins said.

Together with seven-times Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong’s Team RadioShack, Team Sky will make its first competitive appearance at the Tour Down Under in Adelaide, Australia from Jan. 17 to 24.

We always like to post good news about our friends. Dan puts on amazing events and we are proud to be involved with him and High Five Events...

Dan Carroll of High Five Events has been selected to speak at the USAT Race Director Symposium Feb. 12-14th in Colorado Springs. Dan will be presenting on "Volunteer Recruiting and Management". Also presenting at the event is Johan Bruyneel, team manager for 9 Tour de France championship squads including US Postal, Discovery Channel, and Astana. Sure, Johan is the keynote speaker and Dan is just a breakout session presenter, but it's still pretty cool.

Dan is also on track to achieve the new Level 2 Race Director certification by the end of the year. Dan is already a certified RD, but Level 2 is the new advanced certification. He will be one of the first race directors in the country to reach this level of certification.

Anyone can attend the RD symposium, although it's probably pretty boring unless you're into race directing. Info is available here.

Okay TRIJUICE followers, this post really isn’t for you. This post is something for your family, wife, father, sister and friends, to help them get you something cool this Holiday Season. Stay tuned as your opportunity to land some cool gifts comes soon with the 2nd Annual TRIJUICE Holiday Giveaway Contest.

It’s that time of year again which means it time to figure out what to get a triathlete that already has everything or is a newbie in the sport and needs some help. Well, we hope to take some of the pain out of your holiday shopping with our list of 16 great gift ideas for your triathlete.

Stocking StuffersHere are some small gift ideas that any triathlete would enjoy this holiday season.

• Help any triathlete save time getting secured in their running shoes with a set of Xtenex Laces. These unique laces have an elastic core and a series of knots along the entire length of the lace at consistent length intervals. Stretch the lace and the knots disappear, release the tension and the knots reappear. The more knots between the eyelets on the shoes lessens the tension; the fewer knots between eyelets increases tension. This technology enhances footwear fit, comfort and performance. They are available in a wide variety of colors! MSRP: $19.95 (www.xlaces.com)

• Here is a little something for the triathlete who has accomplished the ultimate test of endurance or one day dreams of doing so - a Silver M-Dot key chain. The nice thing about this key chain is that it’s not made out of plastic; it’s a nice hunk of metal and has a nice price to go with it. MSRP: $7.95 (www.shopironman.com)

• Triathlon involves spending a lot of time training and/or racing on a bike which can cause chafing in some sensitive areas. Here is a product that will make a triathlete’s ride more comfortable, DZ Nuts high viscosity chamois cream. DZ Nuts is scientifically formulated to minimize the effects of chafing and burning every time they ride. MSRP: $23.00 (www.dz-nuts.com)

• Here is a good stocking stuffer, a pair of SLS3 Compression Sox. Their innovative graduated compression technology maximizes the blood circulation in the muscles. The supportive effect and the compression of the SLS3 Compression Sox reduce the muscle vibration drastically, which leads to less damage of the soft tissue and less sore muscles. This will improve their performance in training, competition and recovery. MSRP: $57.95 (www.slstri.com)

• A bike mechanical issue is bound to happen to any triathlete. The end result after fixing the problem could be dirty and greasy hands. How about getting them some Grease Monkey Wipes so they can cleanup after their unfortunate situation. Grease Monkey Wipes are individually packaged cleaning wipes that use an all-natural citrus formula to easily remove grease, grime, oil or other messes from skin and surfaces. They can store one in their bike bag or tuck one in their jersey when training or racing. MSRP: $11.99 for 12 Wipes (www.greasemonkeywipes.com)

Lance Armstrong’s new RadioShack racing team is getting ready to ride.

Team manager Johan Bruyneel announced a 26-rider lineup for 2010 on Monday, including Armstrong’s former Astana teammates Levi Leipheimer, Andreas Kloeden and Yaroslav Popovych.

Armstrong, a seven-time Tour de France champion, came out of retirement to race the 2009 tour with Astana and finished third at age 37, making him the second-oldest rider to make the podium.

But there was friction with teammate and race winner Alberto Contador, and Armstrong struck out to form his own team where he could be the lead rider again. Bruyneel directed all of Armstrong’s seven tour victories and was with Astana in 2009.

RadioShack draws riders from 16 countries, and Bruyneel called it a good mix of experience and youth.

Kloeden finished sixth at the 2009 Tour de France. Leipheimer was in fourth after 12 stages when he broke his wrist and had to withdraw. Also joining RadioShack from Astana is Haimar Zubeldia.

“Our main goal will be the Tour de France and other stage races, but I am confident that, with these riders, we can perform very well in the one-day races as well,” Bruyneel said.

The team has scheduled a two-week training camp in Tucson, Ariz. in December. It is scheduled to make its racing debut at the 2010 Tour Down Under in Australia.

Looking for some sweet deals on bike gear head over to Mellow Johnny's this Saturday for Mellow Swap 2009. Prefer pain and suffering for your Saturday, conquer the gnarliest Austin hills in the Tour das Hugel.

The 2009 Texas Tri Series wrapped up Sunday with the Longhorn Ironman 70.3. Luckily the race had beautiful weather, because cleaning up the site on Monday in the pouring rain and cold was totally miserable. With most of the 2009 multi-sport season behind us, we know many of you are already looking forward to 2010 and trying to set your calendar. Below is the tentative event schedule for 2010. It is subject to change, but we're pretty sure the dates of the triathlons will not move. The lineup will be officially announced at the Texas Tri Series finisher party on November 14th. Registrations will go live December 1st.

Team Grease Monkey Wipes will be out at the Longhorn Tri expo today from 11-4 PM. Stop by to pick up some Grease Monkey Wipes or all the great clothes we have to offer including organic cotton tees, tech tees, and jerseys. Also hang around for Tim's tire changing clinic at 1 PM.

PARIS, Oct 16 (Reuters) - Lance Armstrong’s RadioShack team has been granted a ProTour licence that guarantees the American outfit entry into next year’s Tour de France, the International Cycling Union (UCI) said on Friday.

“Following the examination of a request received, the Licence Commission has awarded a four-year UCI ProTour licence for the period 2010 to 2013 to Team RadioShack (USA),” the UCI said in a statement.

Seven times champion Armstrong, announced the creation of RadioShack during July’s Tour de France, which he finished in third place overall.

The 38-year-old returned to the sport in January, riding for the Astana team, after 3-1/2 years in retirement.

For next season, Armstrong, will be able to rely on experienced riders, notably American Levi Leipheimer and Andreas Kloeden of Germany.

Leipheimer, 35, has finished in the top 10 on the Tour four times—including third in 2007. Kloeden, 34, finished second overall in the Tour de France in 2004 and 2006.

Belgian manager Johan Bruyneel, the man behind Armstrong’s seven Tour titles, is set to leave Astana to join RadioShack when the American starts his 2010 season at the Tour Down Under in January.

RadioShack, however, will also bank on promising young riders.

“Sam Bewley (age 22) and Bjorn Selander (21) make the jump from the Trek-Livestrong U23 team, while Daryl Impey (24), Ivan Rovny (22) and Ben Hermans (23) all come from major European teams,” RadioShack said on their website on Friday (www.teamradioshack.us).

“Janez Brajkovic who comes with Armstrong from Astana, will be only 26 in December,” the team said.

I hooked up with the folks at Bike Hugger last year when they were in town for SXSW.

What is Bike Hugger you ask? Just one of the coolest damn cycling blogs out there. They are based in Seattle, WA but they travel the country doing damn cool things for cycling. For example they put on Mobile Socials at events such as SXSW and Interbike. Basically these are bike parades that cruise all over town and end at a really great party where they have tons of cycling schwag, free grub, and usually some ice cold beer. While they were here last year I gave them some samples of Grease Monkey Wipes and it looks like they put them to good use.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Look at dem purty hands, so nice and clean.

They will be back in town in March 2010 for SXSW and their next Mobile Social. Check them out.

Even though the cycling and tri season are winding down that does not mean things slow down for Team GMW. In the upcoming weeks we will be make our presence known at several events around the Austin area.

10/17 - Tour de Fat: We will be volunteering in the morning and then riding the GMW cruiser in the bike parade. If you have never been to this event you are truly missing out.

10/23-24: Longhorn Tri Festival: Stop by and stock up on Grease Monkey Wipes, and check out our new line of performance tech tees and 100% organic cotton shirts.

10/25: LVESTRONG Challenge: Tim will be sporting the new GMW cycling kit as he tackles the roads out in Dripping Springs during this annual event.

11/7: The Wurst Ride: What better way to wind down the cycling season then a 62 mile ride that ends at Wurst Fest with brats and beer. Answer: there is no better way.

Get out and enjoy the fantastic fall weather and we hope to see you on a ride soon.

Imagine a world class triathlon held in the front yard of one of the most active and outgoing cities in the US. Imagine a large event with the atmosphere and intimacy of a small hometown race. Imagine biking down the most historic street in Texas. Imagine the fun. That is The AVIA Austin Triathlon!

Grease Monkey Wipes is proud to be a sponsor of the Austin Tri and are glad that we can be involved in the fun and festivities. Come visit us at the Tri Expo on Sunday for not only the Grease Monkey Wipes you have come to know and love, but we will also have a brand new shipment of merchandise.

We will have 100% organic cotton tees, some stylish and functional tech tees, and some great new hats. All items will also have special Austin Tri discounted pricing. Some come on out and say hi and save a few bucks during our Austin Tri sale.

Hope everyone has a fantastic and safe Labor Day weekend and we hope to see you at the Expo.

We are proud to sponsor some great racers across the country. Below is a report from our friend Macky with Transparent Racing...

I'm sorry it has been so long since I've been in touch. I just got back from a multi-week trip to the East Coast for my first ever World Cup and 2 Pro XC Tour races, Mt. Snow and Windham. I had a great time at all 3 of the races, but I admit that I didn't race or feel nearly as good as I would have liked...

At the Bromont World Cup, my first ever, I finished 80th of 120 or so starters. I was called up almost dead last, so I was pleased with my result because it means that I passed 30 or so people! The race was completely chaotic because it was raining and muddy, but I had a great time and enjoyed seeing some of my Chilean friends that I met during my time in South America last winter.

At Mt. Snow and Windham, I finished 30th and 33rd, respectively. Certainly not up to par with my earlier results, but still top half.

Unfortunately, I was not chosen for this year's U23 World Championships team. I am disappointed, but I worked my hardest to be chosen, and when I spoke to USA Cycling, I was told that I was next on the list. I was also disappointed because USA Cycling chose to only bring 3 U23 racers of the 7 they were allowed to bring, but unfortunately, I have no control over that...

I am now taking a bit of a break from cycling to spend time with my family and get ready for college. When I get back to school I will be preparing for the collegiate mountain bike season and then for cyclocross!

Thank you so much for your support this mountain bike season! The Grease Monkey Wipes have been great.

Since the Grease Monkey Wipes sponsored Austin Tri is this weekend, we're posting an article from our friends over at Jack & Adams regarding air pressure in tires for overnight bike check-in.

To air or not to air?

For big events, bikes are sometimes required to be left overnight in the transition area. For some reason word spreads like wild fire to let the air out of tires so that they will not blow overnight. If you have been at an event like this and heard tires blowing right before the event, it has further increased your fear of this happening to you and made you a believer in this pre- race superstition. Below we will give the real reasons why tires blow in transition and a little info on why they will not.

Because people are nervous about getting flats, they tend to replace both tubes and tires for big events. This leads to tires and tubes not being seeded correctly and then blowing in transition overnight.

Because people are using bikes that are not very well maintained, they may have dry or weak spots on the tires. Mechanics / helpers / friends helping others getting ready in transition during bike check in will normally pump tires up to the max tire pressure. This exposes already weak, dry rotted or damaged areas of the tire. This is the main culprit of tires blowing.

A severe temperature change will only cause a very slight change in tire pressure overnight. A swing of 50 degrees will be a shift of less than 10 lbs. Most wheel manufactures' rims can withstand over twice the recommended tire pressure before the tire would pop off of the rim. So if your tire is to be aired up to 120 lbs, chances are your rim can hold twice that amount of force or more.

Rubber is also a porous material. Tubes and tires will lose pressure over a short amount of time. Some tires will lose as much as 25 to 40 % of their air in a week. If you air your tires up the day before you will probably have a little less air in your tires by race start. This would be a bigger reason why to air them up race day.

In short, letting the air out of your tires before an event will not prevent flats overnight, but if you like to do it because it makes you feel better, that is fine. Sports are surrounded by all kinds of pre-event habits and superstitions. Letting your air out can be chalked up to that.

In one month I will be heading to Columbia, MD to ride in the 24 Hours of Booty. This event will be the first time I have attempted to ride for 24 hours straight. This should be an amazing event because not only is it a fundraiser for the Lance Armstrong Foundation but also my entire family will be there. My dad is going to ride with me (at least part of the time) and my brother and his wife, and my wife are going to act as our pit crew. Making sure our bottles are full, we remember to eat, etc. Should be an amazing experience. Plus as I have blogged about before I get to ride at night, and I absolutely love that, it is so much fun and really brings out a child like quality.

I will keep updating as my training continues, and if you are interested in donating to support me in this ride you can do it here.

As the summer winds towards an end, we are going to introduce monthly Sunday shop ride "specials." This week, one of the regular shop ride leaders, Zac Dashner, and team Velossimo will be taking cyclists and TRIATHLETES out for a group riding training session. Learn to spin fast and efficiently on a group ride. It's the motion not the muscle!

Group riding & paceline riding 101 session on the morning ride of Sunday, August 23rd. 45-50 miler No hammering, no attacking. It's about etiquette and technique. This won't be a hard-paced ride, but just the same you should be able to sustain 18-20 mph while drafting (which we'll teach).

If you're a regular on the Sunday rides, if you do the Decker Lake 35 mile ride or the 33 miler down to the corner store in Buda, do not be intimidated by "45-50" miles. You'll find proper group & paceline riding this distance to not be appreciably more difficult...maybe even easier.

Those wanting to push the pace should not join. Those not wanting to follow direction/instruction/leadership of the group leader(s) should not join, either. For those with TT/tri bikes, absolutely NO riding in the aero bars for this ride and absolutely no MP3 players.

Attendance is free and unlimited, free tacos and ice cold water on the deck back at Jack and Adam's. Be at the shop ready to leave at 8:15 AM, we always start on time! The regular shop ride and no drop ride will leave at 8:30 as always!

Organizers of the Tour of Missouri say this year’s race won’t include cycling star Lance Armstrong.

Chris Aronhalt, managing partner for Medalist Sports, which organizes the Missouri race, says Armstrong’s current team, Astana, will be part of the Tour of Missouri.

Aronhalt said Tuesday that Armstrong, a seven-time winner of the Tour de France, has already scheduled a fundraiser for his cancer-fighting Livestrong Foundation in Canada during the Tour of Missouri race.

The third Tour of Missouri begins Sept. 7 in St. Louis and concludes Sept. 13 in Kansas City.

Some of the sport’s top names, such as Mark Cavendish, Christian Vande Velde and Levi Leipheimer are expected to compete in the race.

Very good lineup especially for an American race after the Grand Tours, but still would have been nice to see Lance in this event.

The last two nights I have started to ride at night in preparation for the 24 Hours of Booty in late September. And let me tell you it is fun. I have never ridden at night but with the full moon I thought it was the perfect time to give it a try. Each night I went to the veloway at approximately 8:30 and got in a single lap at dusk. Then it was turn out the lights, bring out the moon, and light up the stars.

Let me tell you I had more fun riding at night then I have had in a really long time on a bike. Since it was dark and I had to slow down I did not worry about speed, did not wear a heart rate monitor and just rode. Just like a kid. Even had a root beer float after Wednesday's ride.

So if you have never ridden at night I would highly suggest it. Especially if you have a closed loop with no vehicular traffic. Get yourself a relatively inexpensive headlight and get out and ride, even if it is 10 at night.

If you plan on traveling for a tri this summer, here are some tips from Pro Triathlete, Richie Cunningham. Richie is now living in Austin, TX but races nearly every weekend in all parts of the world. From the Newsletter archives, July 2008:

So you just stepped off the plane after spending hours cramped into a tiny seat between some huge guy who's hogging the armrest and an old man that keeps trying to sleep on your shoulder. You're cramped, tired, and have developed cankles* - not to mention pissed off because they charged you an extra $150 to check your 15 lb bike. Best of all - you have a big race in a few days. And you plan to do it all again in a few weeks. Keeping up with your training and making sure you feel fresh for your race has always been a challenge after a long day of traveling. Here are some things you can do to fight those challenges and end up with some great races under your belt.

*cankles - when the ankles are so fat or swelled that they have become indistinguishable from the calves, therefore becoming one in the same

Before the Flight· If you are traveling for a Sunday race, I recommend arriving on Thursday. You can turn your travel day into a light training or recovery day and then use Friday and Saturday for warm-ups for your race. It also gives you extra time to recover from your flight.

· It's not a bad idea to take your goggles, swimsuit and running gear in your carryon. If they lose your bags (which they often do), you'll still be able to go on a run or swim to loosen up and get the jelly out of your legs.

· Limit the amount of weight you have in your backpack. If you have to walk around with it in the airport, make sure the straps are on both shoulders. Carrying your backpack around puts a lot of strain on your shoulders, which could undo the months of hard training you've done in the pool.

During the Flight· Flying dehydrates the body more than usual, so it's really important to hydrate as much as possible before and during the flight. Don't be afraid to ask for two drinks at a time on the plane. What I find works well is getting a juice and a water. Also, you can bring a water bottle with you. If you don't want to buy one, take an empty water bottle with you through security and fill it up on the other side. It's also not a bad idea to take something like Emergen-C Powder or electrolyte tablets, i.e. Nuun, to put in your drink. Being dehydrated on the plane can have lasting effects for days to come, so even if you feel fine, force that extra water down and don't worry about stepping over the person next to you if you need to go to the toilet. This gives you a good excuse to get up and walk around anyways.

· Compression socks work wonders on that post-flight cankle problem. Put them on before your flight and take them off when you get to the hotel. You'll notice a huge difference and your legs will feel much better than they usually do after your flight.

· This is a personal preference, but I always bring menthol/eucalyptus, cough drops or chewing gum on the flight as it seems to open up the airways when the air conditioning gets really stuffy and irritates your nose. If you're a big fan of airplane boogers, you can skip this advice.

· Get up and walk around when you can. It will keep your legs from getting too stiff.

· If it's a long flight, I've found I recover best if I don't sleep on the plane. It ends up just being a wasted sleep and makes me feel groggy for the whole day, so I wait until I arrive.

Once You Arrive· If it's a long flight, take a 45min to 1 hr nap when you get there. Then go for a light 30min run, bike, or swim to get the blood flowing and flush out the crap in your legs.

· Go to bed at your regular time and don't think about what time it is in your old time zone!

Returning Home· If you are a training machine and paranoid about missing a session and you get stuck at the airport, look for the airport hotel. They usually have a small gym with a treadmill or spin bike.

· Don't be afraid to get straight back into training once you get home. In my experience, it helps me recover a lot faster than taking 3 to 4 days off. My favorite post arrival training session is a long run a day after arriving home. You'll feel crappy for the first 30 or 40 minutes, but by the time you are done, you'll feel like you've flushed most of the race and travel from your legs. This should set you up for getting back into your training for your next race.

Hopefully these tips help you get more out of your training and have a better race.

The Grease Monkey Wipes sponsored Austin Duathletes is holding a free ride on Saturday, June 13th. It starts at the Flying Saucer, an awesome bar and grill located at the Triangle.

Here's the info you need:

The Austin Duathletes would like to invite you to join us for our summer monthly bike rides! Our first ride kicks off on Saturday, June 13th from the Flying Saucer.

What are the distances?Well, we are certainly glad you asked! We will be offering two distances - 25-miles and 45-miles. Each group will have a lead rider to help guide you through the route.

Do I have to have experience?It would be helpful if you have basic bike handling skills and are familiar with proper cycling etiquette. However, we welcome all newcomers to the group and will help you out on your first ride with the club!

Can I bring a friend that is not an Austin Duathlete member?Of course, anyone is welcome! The more the merrier, we always say...

Grease Monkey Wipes is proud to be part of this weekend's Texas 4000 Atlas Ride.

Come ride ATLAS on Saturday, June 6th to join the Texas 4000 on the first day of their epic 4500 mile journey from Austin to Anchorage. Enjoy beautiful views, gently rolling hills, and wildlife of the Texas hill country on either a 50 or 70 mile route from Cedar Park to Lampasas. The ride is fully supported and ends at Texas Legato where riders are invited to enjoy live music, BBQ, beer, and wine tasting. To register or for more information, visit the Atlas Ride website.

The final version of the Safe Passing Bill, SB 488, was passed yesterday by the Texas House. Today, the Senate voted on it, and overwhelmingly voted to pass it.

That was the final step for the bill to complete in the Legislature. Now, it will be sent to Governor Perry, and we are cautiously optimistic that he will sign it into law. We will know the outcome by June 21, the last day the Governor can sign or veto bills.

Come join the Texas 4000 Saturday, June 6th on the first day of their epic 4500 mile journey from Austin to Anchorage. Enjoy beautiful views, gently rolling hills, and wildlife of the Texas hill country on either a 50 or 70 mile route from Cedar Park to Lampasas. The ride is fully supported and ends at Texas Legato where riders are invited to enjoy live music, BBQ, beer, and wine tasting. To register or for more information, visit Atlas Ride.

Grease Monkey Wipes is a sponsor of this event so not only will you be supporting the amazing riders of the Texas 4000 but you also get a free Grease Monkey Wipes in your rider goodie bag. What more could you ask for?

Grease Monkey Wipes were originally designed for cyclists to clean their hands after a mid-ride repair. Now cyclists are using them to clean their bikes too.“When we introduced Grease Monkey Wipes we envisioned them as a portable solution to remove grease from your hands after changing a flat tire, putting back on a dropped chain, or dealing with other mechanical issues associated with riding,” says Tim Stansbury, owner of Grease Monkey Wipes. “Now our customers are sharing additional ways they use the wipes, such as easily cleaning their bike chains. They like the fact that they can use a single, pre-moistened wipe to quickly clean the chain, whether at home or at an event.”

Grease Monkey Wipes have a MSRP of $1.00 and can be purchased online at www.greasemonkeywipes.com and at bicycle retailers throughout North America. Interested in carrying Grease Monkey Wipes? The company is in the process of expanding its retailer and distributor network and welcomes new dealer inquiries. Please contact Tim Stansbury at tim@greasemonkeywipes.com for more information. There is a low minimum order and prices are keystone.

About Grease Monkey Wipes:Grease Monkey Wipes is located in Austin, TX and strives to provide unique products for cycling and triathlon enthusiasts. The company is committed to offering customers eco-friendly products that are made in the United States. For more information visit the company’s website at www.greasemonkeywipes.com.

This past weekend I participated in my third two-day MS150 bike ride. The two previous have been from Houston to Austin with a stop over in LaGrange, this one was from Frisco to Fort Worth with a stop over in Justin. Or at least that was the plan. Thursday night of last week I received an email from the MS folks saying that due to the swine flu Tarrant county had canceled all public gatherings for the upcoming weekend. This meant that Fort Worth would no longer be our finishing destination.

When I heard the news I was pretty bummed because I figured they would simply cancel day two of the event, and I was questioning if I wanted to drive 7 plus hours roundtrip to ride only a single day. Luckily the MS folks were able to make some quick changes to the route and finishing venue and Day 2 was back on (at least for the time being).

So Carri, our friend Michelle and I headed up to Frisco. We stayed at a pretty cool hotel called Aloft that is part of the W Hotel family. Really funky and modern, but they had a nice hotel bar that had a good happy hour so we were all happy.After receiving another email from the MS group later in the evening stating that overnight camping was no longer allowed at Texas Motor Speedway we were a little worried but were glad that we knew that at least Day 1 was still on, even though they did reiterate that if it was raining the route might be closed.

The rest of the evening was pretty uneventful but the 5 AM wakeup call did come pretty early, but nothing left to do but gear up and ride. The weather was pretty nice, overcast and not too oppressively hot, even though it was humid as a mother. Unfortunately my computer was not working so I did not know my speed or cadence for the first 38 miles. I think without that info I was going a little faster than planned and ended up losing Michelle pretty quickly. Sorry Chel.

All through the day you could tell we going to get weather and twice I rode through areas where the temperature immediately dropped 20 degrees. Then I would ride about 20 minutes and just as quickly as it dropped it warmed back up. This is the first time in my 4 years of riding that this has ever happened to me. And it happened twice. The second time going from cold to hot my glasses even fogged up. Obviously we were going in and out of the leading edge of the incoming front.

Luckily I finished the 88 mile route in a little over 4.5 hours and was ahead of the weather.Michelle on the other hand got caught in some weather, but luckily made it back in great spirits.As with most Texas storms the storm that hit the Speedway came fast and furious with tons of rain, high winds, and lots of lightning and thunder. Luckily we had ridden with the Saint Arnold Brewery team and they had plenty of Rudy's barbeque and several delicious varieties of their beer to help us weather the storm. It is amazing how fast the campground area turned into rushing rivers of water.

We had a feeling with all the rain and more expected the next day that day two would be canceled so we began packing up our gear for the drive back to Austin, and sure enough shortly after we left an announcement was made canceling the second day.

So after everything was said and done the second day was indeed canceled, not due to the swine flu but due to good old Mother Nature. But I was not disappointed at all...I got to ride my bike, I got to hang out with friends, I made some new friends, I tried some really delicious beer, and most importantly I was able to raise funds for the MS Society to help those affected with MS. A pretty good weekend in my book.

Run Far puts on a free time trial every two weeks from April to September for all the cyclists in Austin. Since the event is held about two miles from my house I try to ride it every chance I get.

Last night was the second week in a row that I have set a personal best time, and last night I crushed my previous fastest time by over 14 seconds. That might not seem like a lot but I think it is pretty good considering the time trial is only 8 miles and usually takes me about 20 minutes. So a 14 second drop equates to an improvement of 1.16%

There are a few things I did right last night that I think helped me get this time:

- Proper warm up- Not pushing too hard at the beginning and having nothing left on the back side- Taking the U-turn a little wider to maintain speed- Having a rabbit that helped me push through to the end- Relaxing

Sub 20 minutes is still alluding me, but I will catch it before the end of the summer.

Today the lineup for the 2009 ACL Music Festival was released and I have to say I am pretty impressed. Here are the bands I am looking forward to seeing in October...

* Pearl Jam - have not seen them in over 10 years* Beastie Boys* Kings of Leon - have missed them the last few times they have been in town* Ben Harper and the Relentless7 * Thievery Corporation - always have an amazing live set* The Dead Weather - interested to see Jack White's new band * Sonic Youth* Toadies* Citzen Cope* The Decemberists* STS9 - been a few years since I saw them last* Bon Iver* MMW - thankfully they finally return to Austin* Michael Franti & Spearhead - How you feelin'* Heartless Bastards - missed them at SXSW* Dan Auerbach - can his solo stuff be as good as the Black Keys?* Dr. Dog* The Knux - a little rap at ACL* School of Seven Bells - enjoyed them at SXSW

Plus the many bands that I am sure I will learn about between now and then. So this is who I like, how about you?

After a really hard weekend, I'm glad to say that I'm still smiling and energized. I thought I'd share some thoughts on my current mental state...

1) I think the weekend I just completed was perhaps the hardest weekend to date - at least for me. I only made 17 out of the 20+ miles I was supposed to run yesterday. My body had not hurt that much all year, and I frankly had nothing left to give. Today was much luckily much better, granted the wind was killer for half of the 90 mile ride. My legs actually felt fine, but mentally I was done at mile 80, and knowing I had to run for an hour made it all the worse. If it hadn't been for Katy, I wouldn't have made it out of the parking lot. This weekend was all about "getting it done" & "just make forward motion." Yet, I now have 2 more big building blocks to add to my IM pyramid.

2) Looking at the upcoming training weekends, they don't seem so bad. I feel nuts for saying that, but a 100 mile ride (with no brick run) and a 20 mile run weekend doesn't seem too bad. How did I get to this place?!

3) I'm still not sure why I hate running so much. Katy asked me point blank today, and I didn't have a good answer. Can we say "MENTAL?" I'm gonna work on that. I really have no fears about IM at all except for the run. And that will take up a huge part of my day... great... (sorry, Amy, I will work it at. Your pep talk will stay in the back of my mind....)

4) I don't know if I'll ever want to do this again, but I sure am glad I'm doing it now. It is so fun to work towards such a huge goal with such an awesome group of people.

5) I learn something new every single time I go for a workout. Today I learned that I need to take some type of caffeine on the bike, or else I end up with a huge headache. These findings won't change the world, of course, but they are really interesting to me.

6) My parents are, as usual, awesome. Every time I talk to them, they want to know how my workout was, how far I went, how I'm feeling, what my outlook is. They think I am crazy, but they have fully embraced my training with me. I am so thankful for their interest and support and encouragement.

7) Whenever things get really tough, I just think about "Ironman: The Musical" and I can't help but smile.

8) More than anything, I have most enjoyed my time with my training partners. Take just this weekend: I had the best time this afternoon hanging out in the parking lot, sweaty and stinky and tired, with Alisa, Elizabeth, Katy & Cindy. I could have given Jim the sweatiest hug ever given how sweet and encouraging he was after our workout. I was so inspired watching Jess hammer out of sight on the bike. I loved running with Alisa, Amy & Natalie yesterday- they pulled me the whole time and I was never without a laugh for more than a few minutes. I love that Maggie always checks in on me after every long workout and encourages me. I have really loved watching Priscilla's 180 adjustment about IM - and it has certainly inspired me and many others. And... seeing everyone's encouragement and excitement every night on Facebook is really cool! (I often wonder what my non-tri friends think of our workout posts...) I'm a huge believer in sharing the things that make you happy, and I feel blessed to have these people to share with.

9) Compression socks are damn sexy. And by sexy, I mean - not sexy whatsoever, but wow they sure help my legs feel better!

10) We only have six more weeks of hard workouts! Then three weeks of taper! I can't believe this has gone so fast!!!! I'm trying so hard not to get ahead of myself, but I already know that I'm going to miss this training so much in ten weeks. So, I'm going to keep embracing it and not have any regrets. Time is really starting to fly now, and I want to enjoy it all.

Seven-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong was recovering Wednesday after surgery to repair his right collarbone, which was broken into four pieces in a crash on Monday at the Vuelta a Castilla y León.

In an article posted on the Astana team website, doctor Doug Elenz, the orthopedic surgeon who performed the procedure in Austin, Texas, said it wasn't yet clear when Armstrong would be able to return to racing.

"Normally we see eight to 12 weeks for something like this to heal completely," Elenz said, but added that Armstrong could be back in action before that, depending on his progress.

Elenz and his team repaired the injury with a 5-inch stainless steel plate with 12 screws.

Armstrong was expected to be back at his home in Austin on Wednesday evening. He is then supposed to rest for a week, after which he can begin aerobic training on a stationary bike.

Lance Armstrong crashed hard in Monday’s opening stage of the Castilla y León and first indications appear that he seriously injured his shoulder and might have broken his right collarbone.

There are no official reports yet as the crash just happened at about 150km into the stage on narrow roads, but the Astana rider was crouched on the side of the road cradling his right shoulder.

Armstrong went down in a crash featuring at least a dozen riders as the peloton was cranking up the chase late in the stage. He was seen entering an ambulance cradling his right shoulder. A race organizer told Agence France Press that the American was taken to the town of Palencia and had abandoned the race.

Lance Armstrong says his return to the top spot of the winner’s podium at the Tour de France is no guarantee.

The seven-time Tour champion is confident he will attain a high level come July, but admitted he cannot take for granted he will be the same rider who won barnstormed to seven consecutive titles from 1999-2005.

“It’s hard to say. In the past, I was always riding to win. We’re not there yet. Frankly, I don’t know if I will get back there,” he said Friday in a press conference. “This experiment, if you want to call it that, has never been attempted before. Would I like to be? Yes, I’d like to be competitive.”

At 37, and after more than three years away from competitive cycling, Armstrong cannot count on winning as dominantly as he did during his previous reign.

The legendary Roots crew announced the second annual ROOTS PICNIC live in their hometown of Philadelphia! The main stage will host The Roots (2 sets), TV on the Radio, The Black Keys, Public Enemy, Antibalas, Santigold, The Pipes featuring Zoe Kravitz and Busdriver.

Asher Roth, Writtenhouse, Back to Basics – King Britt & Dozia, Dave P. (of Making Time, etc), Kid Cudi are set to perform on the second stage.

The Grammy-Award winning hip-hop stars and newly minted house band of "Late Night Jimmy Fallon," have recently been called "the flame keepers of hip-hop authenticity" by The New York Times. Known for their incessant touring, mind-blowing live shows and conscious and creative lyricism, the Roots will perform two sets of their impeccable live sound at the Picnic.

TV on the RADIO is touring behind Dear Science, 2008's most critically acclaimed release. Dear Science was named "best album" of 2008 by Rolling Stone, Spin, Entertainment Weekly and Pitchfork Media's reader's poll.

And in a very special performance, Public Enemy will perform It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold us Back along with Antibalas and The Roots – the first time this album will be recreated backed by a live band. Q Magazine summed up It Takes a Nation best when they said, "5 stars. Indispensible - the greatest rap record of all time. A landmark. A classic."

The Black Keys are an American blues-rock music duo consisting of vocalist/guitarist Dan Auerbach and drummer/producer Patrick Carney. Their latest album ATTACK and RELEASE was produced with Danger Mouse. The band recently performed two sold-out shows at Electric Factory as part of their most recent tour.

Santigold (formerly known as Santogold) was easily one of 2008's most exciting breakout artists. Her album and singles "Creator" and "L.E.S. Aristes" were smash hits with critics, fans and artists wanting more as she hit stages and records with artists as diverse as Jay Z, Coldplay, Bjork, MIA, Beastie Boys and many more. Recently featuring on the opening week of "JIMMY FALLON" - Santigold attended high school in Philadelphia and spent time performing as the lead singer of the punk band STIFFED.

Bike Hugger is bringing the party back to SXSW with 43% more bike culture. The Mobile Social is an intersection of bikes, technology, and culture. We ride, blog, party, and give away product.

This event is for the Urban Ride. Meet at the Susanna Dickinson House in Brush Square Park.

The BBQ is here...http://upcoming.yahoo.com/event/1372978/

Update: The DJs of the Sun, aka Sycons, are bringing their art, solar energy, and music to the Urban Ride ride and BBQ. Digital, analog, mobile, and powered by solar packs. They’ll mix music while we ride around Austin and party at the BBQ.

A few weeks ago I went out to the Amgen Tour of California. This is the biggest stage race in the United States and it was great to see some of the cyclists that I have seen participate in the Grand Tours on television up close and personal.

Saturday, February 14 - Loaded up the family truckster and began the drive to California. The initial plan was to get to about an hour within Arizona and call it a night. But once we got to about an hour away from our hotel, I knew I still had a few more hours of driving in me, so we canceled our reservation and pushed on. Tucson, check, Phoenix, still feeling good, but should have checked the map, as after Phoenix there is nothing for about another 150 miles. Well there is nothing to do now but push-on unless we wanted to sleep in the car in the middle of the desert in Arizona. Um, no. So finally arrived in Blythe, CA at midnight Pacific time. Nothing like 17 hours of driving to get your trip started.Sunday, February 15 - Woke up pretty early and luckily only had about 3 hours of driving to Rancho Cucamonga, where we were staying with family. Basically did nothing all day but lay around, and nap, and eat (including my first experience with In-N-Out burgers, and that was so amazing it will get its own post), and nap some more.Monday, February 16 - This was supposed to be a pretty easy travel day of about 5 hours from Rancho Cucamonga to Ripon. The optimal word is "supposed" to be. Unbeknownst to me at the time there is really only one major way to get from southern California to Northern California inland and it is through the Grapevine. Well California was having terrible weather and the Grapevine (a twisty, mountainous section of Interstate 5) was closed because of snow and ice, so we had to detour and take a secondary route that was also experiencing weather and our 5 hour trip turned into about 8.5 hours. Luckily we made it through safely, and had a great dinner waiting for us at my Aunt's.Tuesday, February 17 - This was our first day to pick up the tour, and the weather was still vile. Temperatures were in the upper 40s and it was raining cats and dogs. We arrived at the Stage 3 finish line in Modesto about 2.5 hours before the boys came in and after walking around at the finish line festival for awhile we decided to get out of the elements and watch some of the coverage on Versus. After about 30 minutes of this we headed back out and luckily the rain had tapered off. It was amazing that even with slick streets the riders still came barreling into town at such high speeds. After the finish it was another 2 hour drive to Fresno. After a few beers and some pizza it was time to turn in for the evening.

Wednesday, February 18 - The Stage 4 finish was in Clovis which is only about 15 minutes from Fresno so we were able to sleep in a bit. Also the weather had changed and the sun was shining and it was beautiful. Now this is what California was supposed to be like. Clovis really did it up right and they had a huge turn out. After walking around for an hour or so we posted up by one of the video boards about 300 meters from the finish line. It was here that I bumped into my friend Kevin, who I met last year at Pro Night at the Driveway Crit. He was driving the team bus for Toyota-United at the Driveway and was driving for Team Garmin-Slipstream for the AToC. He is such a great guy and it was great to see him again. So we posted up and watched the board until the riders came flying into town. Mark Cavendish of Team Columbia Highroad won the stage and clocked in at over 42 MPH in the finishing stretch.

Thursday, February 19 - Woke up pretty early in the morning and began the drive to Paso Robles which was the Stage 5 finishing city. After about 2 boring hours of driving we pulled into Paso and it was a really cool little town. Very nice people, beautiful weather once again, etc. Was able to post up at about 200 meters from the finish in front of a video board. Once again it is amazing to me the speeds these guys reach as they come into town sprinting to the finish. Cavendish won again. After Paso it was back in the car for about another 2 hour drive to Los Alamos (right outside of Solvang). In Los Alamos we found an awesome little dive bar right by our hotel. Had a few drinks, had the locals buying us drinks, buying locals drinks, it was just a great time. The hotel itself was a bit sketchy but whatever.

Friday, February 20 - Solvang. This was Stage 6 and it was a 15 mile time trial around the city. Solvang is an amazing little hamlet in the middle of California. It looks like someone took a piece Holland and uprooted it and place it in Cali. This was by far the most fun as since it was a time trial the start and finish lines were within a block of each other. Plus we were able to see the guys warming up on their trainers, walk out on the course to see the first turn, walk to the start house to see them leave, and then head over to finish to see them come in. Just amazing. Plus Solvang is such a cycling crazy city it seemed that everyone was a cyclist. After the time trials ended it was back on the road, and unfortunately time to sit in some traffic in L.A. Nothing like L.A. on a Friday, during rush hour. Oh well the day was amazing what is a little traffic.

Saturday, February 21 and Sunday, February 22 - On the road again back on the road to Texas.

All in all it was an amazing trip seeing some amazing cycling. Congrats to Levi for winning especially now that news come out he had a fracture at the time.

If you are interested in seeing my pics from the trip they are uploaded here.

Eventually I hope to get off my duff and make a movie of the footage I shot, but until then...

Have you ever been right on the edge of something beyond yourself? That is where I teeter right now. Just too out of shape to participate in a race but just wanting to do it just for the sake of racing. So close, but yet so far. Soon enough I will sign up for a 35+ 4/5 race, just to see what I am made of.

The Astana Cycling team announced Saturday that Levi Leipheimer suffered an undisplaced fracture of the sacrum in a crash during the third stage of the Amgen Tour of California.

As a result of the diagnosis, Leipheimer will not compete in next month’s edition of Paris-Nice (March 6-15) and will delay his return to cycling until March 23, when he competes in the five-day Vuelta a Castilla y León.

Leipheimer reported pain and discomfort following the February 17 crash in California, triggered when he overlapped wheels with teammate Lance Armstrong. The fracture did not, however, prevent him from continuing the nine-day California stage race in which he subsequently won the individual time trial and the overall classification.

While the Web-based cycling community was all a-Twitter over the recent theft and return of Lance Armstrong's time trial bike, another cyclist has suffered a bigger loss of personal property, but did not discover it until he returned from the recent Amgen Tour of California.

Salt Lake City Police have issued an appeal for the public's help in recovering items stolen in a burglary at the home of Garmin-Slipstream’s David Zabriskie.

According to police, the break-in occurred while Zabriskie was in California for the recent Amgen Tour.

Astana’s Levi Leipheimer collected his third consecutive victory at the Amgen Tour of California on Sunday as Saxo Bank’s Fränk Schleck won the eighth and final stage, a 97-mile leg from Rancho Bernardo to Escondido.

The Austin Police Department’s South Central Area Command Detectives have made an additional arrest in the high-dollar bike thefts. Layne Severson, (DOB: 10-15-79) has been charged with Money Laundering, a State Jail Felony and has been booked into Travis County jail on a $5,000 bond.

Detectives learned that Severson owned an online payment account. The proceeds from the sale of the stolen property were deposited into this account which was connected to Severson’s checking account.

James Clayton was arrested on Tuesday Feb. 3, 2009 in connection with this case.

The custom Trek 1274/27.5 TTX vanished from a Team Astana truck parked outside a hotel after the Amgen Tour of California prologue, along with three road bikes belonging to Janez Brajkovic, Steve Morabito and Yaroslav Popovych.

Brajkovic's bike was found Tuesday at the hotel from which the other bikes had been stolen. Hotel employees told police that the bike had been in storage and there had been "a miscommunication between the rider and the hotel."

On Wednesday, a local resident who police said wishes to remain anonymous brought Armstrong’s bike to police headquarters. The department released a statement saying that "the facts surrounding how the person came into possession of the bicycle are not being released at this time due to an ongoing investigation."

"The bicycle is currently in the care of the police department and arrangements will be made toreturn the bicycle to the owner."

That owner never had any doubts. Asked by VeloNews editor in chief Ben Delaney whether the theft bothered him, Armstrong replied: "Nah. Bikes are replaceable. I suspect that bike will come back. There’s no way you can steal a one-of-a-kind bike. And unless you keep it to yourself, or burn it, that bike comes back every time."

Lance Armstrong has abandoned his plan to submit to extra performance-enhancing drug tests and make all of the results public to bolster his claims that he competes drug-free, according to the anti-doping chemist Armstrong had pegged to handle the extra testing.

Don Catlin, head of the Los Angeles-based Anti-Doping Research, said yesterday the planned partnership between him and Armstrong would not go forward for a variety of reasons. Armstrong, 37, had trumpeted the proposed arrangement last September when he came out of a three-year retirement to chase his eighth Tour de France title this summer.

Catlin emphasized that Armstrong had not reneged on his promise to allow free rein on testing and the posting of comprehensive results on the Web.

Minutes before the Astana cyclists began their 107-mile training ride in Santa Rosa, one of the world’s most famous athletes made what seemed an off-hand remark.

Standing by his bike in front of the Santa Rosa Hyatt, Lance Armstrong was asked his plans for this ride, part of a 10-day training session leading up to the eight-day Tour of California, which will blast into the city on Feb.15. The King Ridge route had been selected by teammate and Santa Rosa resident Levi Leipheimer for both its scenery and difficulty.

We are working to transition our blog from a strictly "what are we doing" to "what is going on in the world around us." As such, we are going to be adding much more cycling content not only from Austin but from other spots across the country. Some of this content will be user provided, and some will be pulled from other sites.

Additionally on a regular basis I will be putting information about local rides, whether that is a shop ride, race, charity ride, or whatever. So get out there and ride.

The Pure Austin Pace Bend Road Race will be better than ever this year. We've taken the classic Texas Hill Country road race venue, added many of your inputs and suggestions, included a little creativity of our own, put in a lot of hard work, and have created a racing event that you are not going to want to miss. And it is the first race in the inaugural TXBRA Premier Cup! As always we will have the entire road for shoulder-to-shoulder racing on the ten kilometer hilly circuit. Get that - no centerline rule. Races that have been grouped in wave starts by like skill-set will go clockwise with an uphill finish near Camp Chautauqua. The Camp, by the way, is a great add to the event venue - thanks to Travis County Parks and the LCRA.

One of the toughest aspects of early season riding is getting base miles, especially when you live in a climate like Austin where it will be in the 70s one day and then windy and in the 40s the next. Just when you get into a good rhythm you either have to take off a few days or move in on the trainer or go spinning. Of course over 3/4 of the country would love even a single 70 degree day so they could put away their winter gear, even if for a brief moment.

This is the first year that I have not been focused on running in January and February, and even though it is a change I truly prefer being on the bike. So bring on the weather, either 70 or 40.

Ever since we received the first shipment of Grease Monkey Wipes, I have been using them regularly for a variety of cleaning jobs. Getting grease off my hands, cleaning pen off my arm, removing glue after an "incident", removing basic bike scum after fixing a flat. But last week I had the ultimate first hand test.

While out riding I dropped my chain while shifting gears at a stop light. After attempting to quickly get the chain back on I thought maybe sitting in traffic doing this was not the best of ideas. So after moving the bike to the side of the road I quickly re-engaged the chain and looking down and my hands were filthy. Now I am a guy and many times if it was just a little grease I might just wiped them on my bibs and been done with it. But this time my hands were caked in grease and I happened to be wearing a new kit.

Luckily I always carry a few Grease Monkey Wipes in my saddle bag, and within seconds my hands were nice and clean, had a nice clean citrus smell, and I was back on my ride with clean hands, and a clean kit.

Moral of the story: Carry Grease Monkey Wipes when you ride and you will never have to ride with greasy hands or a greasy kit again.